Several methods have been employed for forming particulate or powder-like materials in a unitary, firmly compacted body of material. Powder metal bodies have been formed by means of pressure and heat. U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,405,574; 5,611,139; 5,611,230; 6,156,264 and 6,188,304 all suggest systems and/or methods for compacting powder-like materials using electromagnetic compaction techniques.
The die and powder material would be placed in an electromagnetic compaction system and energized to form a densified powder part. FIGS. 3-10 of U.S. Pat. No. 5,611,139, which is assigned to the same assignee as the present invention, illustrate various techniques for compacting a powder to form a part.
Unfortunately, it was difficult to arrange or situate a plurality of powder materials into a compaction tool or die in operative relationship with the armature. It was difficult to load or arrange a plurality of powder materials in the compaction tool or die so that they remain separate and distinct and do not mix.
What is needed, therefore, is a system and method for arranging and locating a plurality of powder or particulate materials in a magnetic compaction machine in order to provide a part having a plurality of densified materials.